I have a total of 18 Orchids, which is a lot I know! But once I started this blog everyone kept giving me their dying orchids! Which I love..but I have to keep track of them somehow. With so many orchids it is hard to remember when I last watered, fertilized and treated them. I found that taking notes on them is the easiest way to stay organized.
Number 5 is my ROCK STAR! I found this Phalaenopsis orchid abandoned in a friends house and had no idea the last time it was watered or the shape it was in. Its leaves were a bit droopy and I was nervous to see its root system. Also I had no idea what color its blooms were, since it’s blooms had already fallen off.
– I repotted it on Aug 17, 2011. I went up a size in pots. It was in good condition and had healthy roots.
– I detected a spike on Sept 15, 2011 and a 2nd root on Sept. 29, 2011.
– On Oct. 4 and 8, 2011 I set a bigger stake on spike because it was growing so fast.
– On November 11, 2011 a 2nd spike shot off from 1st spike!
Here is a picture on January 5, 2012
It has 15 little blooms off it, including a second spike that sprung from another node. I can’t wait to see what color it’s blooms will be!
Here is a pic of it on January 10, 2012…it’s beginning to open!!
It looks to be white with a bit of dark pink on it…
Here it is on January 13, 2012 … First bloom is fully opened, it is the one in front.
Here it is with a few more blooms!! On January 23, 2012
And here it is fully bloomed!
Email me with any questions in regards to how I got this orchid to bloom. And remember that orchids DO NOT bloom for many reasons. Don’t get disheartened if your orchids fail to bloom. Just take care of them and most likely they will bloom next year!
Hope that Helps,
Hannah
Feel free to leave comments or questions.
Hi I am bigginer for orchids,I have gone out for a one moth from my home,after i came I so in the roots are coming out of the pots and I have a another coconut husky pots to put that ceramic hole pots ,That roots comes out form that pots also.how can I seperste my orchids from the pots?it is ok to cut the roots.please help me😔
Hi,
Don’t cut the roots – they are giving sustenance to the plant. They are probably aerial roots. You can soak the whole thing to make them more malleable if you like. I soak them for like 5 minutes before I fully repot them. That way the roots don’t break.
Aerial Roots
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/aerial-roots/
How to Repot
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/32/
Hannah
Hi Hannah,
Many thanks for the reply.
That’s all roots have come out of the Pot (from the holes) are have attached to the pot and they have attached to the haggling coconut husk pot (I’m using it’s for hang to the wall) I tried it to remove but it’s sticky.
Please help me.
Regards,
You can always send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com and I can take a look.
If you do please copy you questions and answers to that email.
How often does it need to be watered and what temperature is good for it. I just received my first one – it’s purple
Hi,
I water it following the post on watering I did on the blog – normally twice or so a month and our house is pretty consistent 73 degrees.
Wow purple!! That’s pretty rare – I would love to see a picture of it. Myfirstorchid@gmail.com
Hannah
When should I re-plant my orchid? Some of the flowers are still full but other ones are dead. The root system does not look to green – I also had some buds that did not bloom.
Hi,
I would love to help. Repotting season is normally early spring to summer once orchids have FINISHED blooming. If you repot while your orchid is in bloom then you may experience bud blast.
Bud blast is when an orchid produces a bud but it never opens. It sounds like you have this as well. Here is my post on that… Most likely this is not your fault but due to getting a new orchid and it changing so many environments.
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/bud-blast-2/
As far as your root question… Can you see the roots through a clear pot or are you looking at aerial roots?
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/aerial-roots/
Hope that helps,
Hannah
The root system looks like it’s dry and I water the end of December — there are also some roots on top of the repot soil
Those roots above are called aerial roots and tend to look like this. Not super attractive but they are not dead just tend to look that way.
You can tell if your orchids is getting enough water by pressing your finger or a pencil down into it and checking for moisture. If it comes up dry then water them. It is better for them to occasionally be too dry then too wet all the time. Does that help?
Hannah
cool. I recently got bit by the orchid bug about 6 months ago. my first orchid is doing lovely. but I acquired a few orchids from walmart real cheap. I picked the ones that looked the best but later found out when i got home that they were far worse. most have almost no roots and one has no roots at all. I tried something similair to the spag and bag method. but I put them all in a big fish tank, each tied to a shishkabob stake with the bottom of the tank having a dish filled with rocks and water to bring up humidity. I then placed a tiny fan on the side and closed off the top of the tank using a big clear plastic bag. im hoping this works. I spray the orchids often and make sure there dry by night fall. I have yet to see new growth but im hoping they make it. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated :3
Michelle,
Hi:) I would love to help.
I have never tried to bag method. Normally when an orchid loses all its roots or all it’s leaves it most likely is dead even though it may not look like it at the time.
I have bought orchids from all over and have found abandoned ones. In these cases the ones that survived were WAY underwatered and look dead but came back. The ones that died were WAY overwatered. Overwatering orchids produces rotting roots and is pretty much the WORSE thing you can do to an orchid.
It is really hard to bring a rotting overwatered orchid back to health. I have done this a few times when there was a few leftover roots or a few leaves but the second my orchids lose ALL their roots or leaves I (with great sadness and frustration) throw it away.
That is probably NOT want you wanted to hear – sorry
Hannah
My orchid flower is almost EXACTLY the same. Only the petals are more yellow and the inside is red, not red-pink/purple
John
Sounds gorgeous!!